Straight out of bed each morning, my stomach is talking to me, letting me know that it’s a priority. Indeed, I know what it wants, and we have an understanding. I’ll don my slippers and scuffle over to the kitchen. Most days will begin with some juice, a sweet fruit, and then a bit later I’ll whip up a thick smoothie for delicious easy energy. In turn, my stomach shuts up for several hours and I am free to go along my business. Carpe diem always starts with a solid breakfast . . . at least that’s what my stomach likes to say.
But the rainy season really puts a (pardon the pun) damper on the usual breakfast plan. With the air so damp and chilly, cold foods seem completely inhospitable. Counter-top ripened bananas are a maybe, and hot tea of course is nice, but I crave the heavier, denser, sweetly satisfying foods. I want something prepared that I don’t have to think about: grab-and-go style. I want . . . a breakfast bar.
Good-choice breakfast bars have a combination of instant energy-providing simple sugars, complex carbohydrates for more lasting energy, and a bit of healthy fat to further smooth over the morning hungries. They are also potentially the perfect canvas for a beautiful collection of natural ingredients. Of course, many store-bought breakfast bars are laden with refined white sugar, refined grains, and probably a little more white sugar to, I don’t know, be on the safe side I guess. That’s why I like to make my own. I make a big batch, cut and wrap them up, and then I’ve got my go-to breakfast all week. One hour spent for a whole week’s worth of easy goodness.
Try a batch of these crave-worthy soft squares — my Lemon Coconut Breakfast Bars — and tell me your morning doesn’t get going just a little bit better.
